Like the other main characters, Master Shake and Frylock, Meatwad originally appeared in the Space Ghost Coast to Coast episode "Baffler Meal", and then made his first official appearance in the show's first episode, "Rabbot". Meatwad has appeared in several video games and albums relating to the series including the 2007 film Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters. Meatwad has also made cameos in promotional material and other media outside of the series.

Meatwad often appears as nice and happy and friendly to others, but on occasion will pull out a gun and threaten to harm someone, these are often seen as hollow threats. Meatwad spends most of his time playing with his home-made dolls or watching television. Meatwad is often bullied by Master Shake, but is often protected by Frylock, who serves as a father figure to him in general. Meatwad is often capable of being intimidated, when convinced to do something bad, usually by Master Shake, Ignignokt, Err, or MC Pee Pants, he often attempts to do so, but is usually stopped by Frylock. Like Master Shake and Frylock, Meatwad was a detective for the first three episodes, but inexplicably quit by "Mayhem of the Mooninites". Meatwad is arguably the youngest of the trio, though his true age is thrown into question at times. The original theme song rap reveals that Meatwad is a Taurus, in keeping with his meaty composition.[2]

Like Master Shake and Frylock, Meatwad does not have an official gender but he is strongly depicted as a male. Meatwad is not or has ever been married. Meatwad does not appear to have a family, but in the film it is claimed that he, along with Master Shake and Frylock, are creations of Dr. Weird. The movie also makes the contradictory claim that their father is a watermelon, and their mother is a nine-layer bean burrito. In 2010 during the "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Live" tour, series creator Dave Willis confirmed that Dr. Weird is indeed the creator of Master Shake, Frylock, Meatwad, and Chicken Bittle, making them all brothers.[3]

In the season seven episode "Rabbot Redux" Meatwad states that he is 38 years old,[4] although in the episode "Robositter", Frylock says that Meatwad cannot work a job due to child-labor laws, in "Super Trivia" Frylock tells him he is not old enough to drink alcohol, and in "Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary" he claims that he is 55 years old. Meatwad is not typically depicted as being religious, but in the episode "A PE Christmas" Meatwad is seen in church, but was dragged there against his will. Whether or not Meatwad belongs to a religion has not officially determined, although he converts to Judaism in "Der Inflatable Fuhrer" and "The Cloning."

Meatwad is most notably an avid shape shiffter, and can take several different shapes presumably by his own choosing. Forms seen include an igloo, a hot dog, Abraham Lincoln, a hammer, a several-story high monster dubbed "The Meat Monster", a large office building, a net, a bridge, Master Shake, a hand giving the finger, a functional gun, a flower, notebook paper, a working tornado, the number 5, on the volume five DVD cover, a Christmas tree on the cover of Have Yourself a Meaty Little Christmas. However, most of the time, he seems unable to transform into anything other than a hot dog and an igloo. Meatwad has the power to pull items out of his body. In "Robositter", Meatwad is frozen, shatters on the floor, and instantly reassembles. In "Multiple Meat" it is revealed that Meatwad can multiply, by being cut in half. It should also be noted that Meatwad is an expert guitarist as demonstrated at least twice, once in the episode 'Party All The Time' where he takes the guitar from Master Shake to demonstrate that 'that action is good' and again in the extra's on the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters retail release of the film where Meatwad has an incredible guitar solo during the performance of Master Shake & Nashville Pussy - Face Omelet song.

While Meatwad's true age is unknown, he appears to have childlike intelligence. In "Super Bowl" Meatwad states he is "messed up in the head". In the season four episode, "Ezekial", it is confirmed that Meatwad suffers from mental retardation, when Meatwad states "Nobody can beat chess dragon, not even me, and I'm retarded".[5][6] In "Rabbot Redux", Frylock re-confirms that Meatwad suffers from a mental disability, when Master Shake complains about Meatwad upsetting him, to which Frylock responds "he [Meatwad] doesn't know any better, and he's never gonna know any better and you know that". In the episode "Dumber Days", Meatwad accessed pseudo-genius intelligence with willpower, where he states common misconceptions about scientific concepts. This further proves his inability to gain actual intelligence.

Meatwad was created and designed by series creators Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro. Meatwad, along with Master Shake, Frylock and Carl Brutananadilewski, made his first official appearance in the pilot episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, "Rabbot," which premiered unannounced on December 30, 2000 and later made its official debut on September 16, 2001.[7] Like the other main characters of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Master Shake and Frylock, Meatwad first made a rough-cut appearances in the Space Ghost Coast to Coastseason eight episode "Baffle Meal", which was meant to air in 1999 but was shelved and not produced until after Aqua Teen Hunger Force became popular. It later aired in 2003.[8][9]

Dave Willis provides Meatwad's voice[10][11] throughout the entire series, and every other official appearance Meatwad has ever made, including "Baffler Meal".

Meatwad has appeared in almost every episode of the series. He does not appear in the season five episodes "Robots Everywhere" and "Sirens", or the season ten episode "Spacecadunce".[12][13][14]

Meatwad is a ball-shaped wad of ground meat with only one single tooth and is covered in yellowish dots and hairs. Meatwad does not have a nose or ears, but he does have retractable arms that only appear when needed. Meatwad also has retractable legs as well, but he almost always rolls around and rarely ever uses them. Just like Master Shake and Frylock, Meatwad occasionally wears clothing but does not typically wear them on a normal basis.

Unlike Frylock and Master Shake, Meatwad's appearance does not differ significantly from his original appearance in "Baffler Meal", where his shape is more rough-cut, he does not have yellowish spots or hair, and he has a full set of teeth instead of one prominent tooth. In "Baffler Meal", Meatwad is pinkish-red, whereas he is brown today, and he appeared depressed, even saying "Please, God, kill me". Unlike Frylock and Master Shake, Meatwad was not portrayed by a live-action actor in "Last Last One Forever and Ever". A reddish brown exercise ball was put in Meatwad's place, with Dave Willis's voice (as Meatwad) heard off-screen. He also likes to listen to music on his boom-box, known as his "jam-box".

In September 2010, Adult Swim Shop introduced a full-scale, functioning hot air balloon in the likeness of Meatwad at a cost of $70,000. The purchase includes a piloted, one-hour ride anywhere in the continental United States, and the buyer gets to keep it although they would need a pilot's license to actually fly it. The balloon was the most expensive item on Adult Swim Shop since the Metalocalypse "Dethklok Fountain" fountain, which was released early in 2010 for $40,000.[15] The hot air balloon is no longer available.

In the AdultSwim.com online video game, Five Minutes to Kill (Yourself): Wedding Day a drawing of Meatwad can be seen on the men's bathroom wall with "[AS]", a popular abbreviation for Adult Swim;[20] this small cameo is similar to Master Shake's appearances as a gold statue in the first two Five Minutes to Kill (Yourself) games. Meatwad also appeared in the popular flash game "Madness Interactive", as a graffiti spray-paint picture similar to the opening sequence of Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Meatwad was also featured in the popular internet series The Angry Video Game Nerd. When The Nerd did a bonus review of "Boo! Haunted House" he used a flashlight and the character looks like Meatwad.

Meatwad was featured prominently in a Dodge Ram commercial. In 2011 a brief clip from the series, featuring Meatwad, was featured in a commercial for the Samsung Galaxy S II.[22] Meatwad has also appeared in promotional video Carl's Jr..[23]